Aryna Sabalenka Confident She Has ‘Chance to Win’ Battle of the Sexes Against Nick Kyrgios
Aryna Sabalenka will lock horns with Amanda Anisimova in the semifinals of the ongoing WTA Finals.
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Aryna Sabalenka, Nick Kyrgios (Image via X/AllAboutHQ, Tiempo De Tenis)
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Aryna Sabalenka will be clashing with Nick Kyrgios on December 28 in the much-awaited Battle of the Sexes. At present, while Kyrgios is dealing with fitness issues, Sabalenka is competing at the WTA Finals, where she won all her round-robin matches to reach the semifinals.
In her last round-robin match, Sabalenka became the reason behind defending champion Coco Gauff‘s exit, as prior to her straight-set defeat to the Belarusian, Gauff also lost to compatriot Jessica Pegula in her first match. At the press conference afterward, when Sabalenka was asked about her clash with Kyrgios, she said she is confident that she has a chance to win against an injured Kyrgios.
It will be a difficult match for him to face, because no matter what happens, he comes out losing. On the other hand, for me it’s the opposite. If I win the match, it will be something that people will talk about a lot, while if I lose, it will be considered something logical.
But many from the tennis world can’t understand the reason for another Battle of the Sexes, with Serena Williams‘ former coach Rennae Stubbs saying a man versus a woman match would have been valuable had it been held 150 years ago, when female players were fighting for equal rights. In one of the Battle of the Sexes exhibitions, the legendary Billie Jean King clinched a three-set win over Bobby Riggs.
I’m going to take it very seriously. I want to give my best performance, force him to give it his all. If I were playing against some tennis player who has been competing normally for a while, he’d have a very tough time, but against Nick, I think I have a chance to win.
Aryna Sabalenka added
Kyrgios was last seen in action in a doubles match at the Citi Open, where he played along with Frenchman Gael Monfils. The pair lost their opening-round match to Edouard Roger-Vasselin and Hugo Nys. In singles, Kyrgios last played at the Miami Open, where, for the first time in 18 months, he secured a match win, against Mackenzie McDonald in the first round, before he lost to Karen Khachanov.
Aryna Sabalenka on the WTA Finals prize money
Aryna Sabalenka will take home $5,235,000 as prize money if she ends the WTA Finals in her favor because she won all her round-robin matches. But Sabalenka is not thinking about the mouthwatering prize money as her focus is only to play all her matches to her full potential.
No, I never think about these things when I’m playing tennis. I just have a lot of love for this sport, I enjoy competing.
Sabalenka grabbed the biggest tennis prize money when she defended the US Open title, receiving a check of $5 million. To reach the championship clash of the WTA Finals for the second time in her career, the four-time Grand Slam singles champion has to knock out Amanda Anisimova, the two-time Major runner-up, who holds a 6-4 head-to-head lead and also became the reason behind her elimination in this year’s Wimbledon semifinal.
It was Anisimova whom the World No.1 defeated in the US Open final. Prior to her first round robin match, Sabalenka clinched the year-end No.1 trophy because second-placed Iga Swiatek, even if she had lifted the WTA Finals, wouldn’t have gained enough ranking points to dethrone her.
Sabalenka was the WTA Finals runner-up in 2022, losing the match to Caroline Garcia. Last year, her campaign ended in the semifinals with her defeat to eventual champion Coco Gauff. She is also chasing her fifth title of the season in Riyadh following her wins at the Brisbane International, Madrid Open, Miami Open, and the US Open.
Also read: Jannik Sinner Reflects on the Miracle He Experienced at the 2025 Wimbledon Championships
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